Editorial

Citation

Burgess, T. (2010), "Editorial", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 59 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm.2010.07959gaa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Volume 59, Issue 7

Overall, this edition has a distinct “quality” flavour with the inclusion of four papers on quality-related topics, namely Six Sigma, lean Six Sigma, Kaizen and total quality management (TQM). These four papers are topped and tailed by papers on broader topics. We also have two reflective practice papers in this issue rather than the usual one.

The first paper “Identifying future challenges for productivity research: evidence from Finland” covers the broad area of productivity research and looks at what challenges can be discerned from a Finnish vantage point. Jonna Kapyla, Aki Jaaskelainen and Antti Loonqvist report on a literature review and interviews with about 40 productivity experts. Clearly, the latter gives a subjective element to the findings; for example the interviews were executed before the global economic collapse and omitted to accentuate the economic concerns that are to the fore during the current post-recession climate. However, notwithstanding this point the authors provide some useful insights that presumably are transferrable to developed and, more tentatively, to developing economies.

The second paper “Training design and transfer: contributions of Six Sigma” by Alan F. Chow, Treena Gillespie Finney and Kelly C. Woodford use a case study to examine the usefulness of Six Sigma tools in improving performance within two human resource (HR) areas: namely training design and its transfer to the workplace. Although the case study is situated in a medical device manufacturer, the focus on using the Six Sigma tools to improve training is an interesting and novel approach. The case study stops short of using the statistical approach to monitor process variation but does usefully apply quality tools such as Ishikawa diagrams and QFD. Applying Six Sigma philosophy and quality tools to this softer, managerial area demonstrates that restricting these to manufacturing is misguided.

Our third paper “A framework for designing, managing and improving Kaizen event programs” introduces a framework to assist in the design and management of Kaizen events typically lasting from three to five days. Eileen M. Van Aken, Jennifer A. Ferris, Wiljeana J. Glover and Geert Letens conducted case studies in three companies, both manufacturing and service, that were experienced users of Kaizen. After analysing the case study data and linking them to the literature the contributors devise a systematic, detailed framework that they then adopt to design a Kaizen intervention for an ICT support centre in the Belgian Armed forces. They provide a detailed set of conclusions that can act as a steer to both practitioners and researchers.

In the fourth paper “Total quality management practices and results in food companies” Evangelos L. Psomas and Christos V. Fototpoulos focus on using TQM in the food sector. A multivariate approach is applied to data obtained from 92 Greek food manufacturers who are certified to internationally-acknowledged quality control systems such as ISO 9001. The authors identify what constitutes TQM practices in food companies, what results are achieved and how the two link together. Presumably, we are all in favour of better quality food being produced!

As well as the four academic papers in this edition, we have two reflective practice papers. The one “Reducing employees’ turnover in transactional services: a lean Six Sigma case study” by Alessandro Laureani and Jiju Antony complements the academic paper by Chow, Finney and Woodford in that it applies lean Six Sigma in the human resources function of a service organisation. Combining the operations philosophies of lean and Six Sigma is growing in popularity and debunking the myth that these are manufacturing philosophies with little relevance to services is a worthwhile exercise, as also indicated in the earlier paper.

In this edition, we have a second reflective practice paper, “Performance measurement and intranets: a natural partnership” by D. Keith Denton that looks at performance measurement and intranets. This is a short paper but encapsulates some important points about using the capabilities of intranets to enable enterprise performance measurement and also to feedback performance to people where it matters. I hope you enjoy reading this and the other papers in this edition.

Thomas Burgess, John Heap